There are a wide variety of known designs for toy water pistols, most of which are characterized by an unpressurized water holding chamber within the hand grip of the pistol. The volume of water that can be held is quite limited, as is the distance that the water will shoot when the trigger is pulled. Typically, the shooting distance is simply a function of the user's ability to apply a sharp force to the trigger.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,640 granted to Paranay et al on Mar. 24, 1981, a water pistol design is disclosed which the loading of water under pressure. In this design, an expandable tube is attached to the butt end of the pistol, and may be filled with water under pressure by water injected backwardly through the nozzle end of the pistol. While this design may certainly achieve greater shooting distances, there are some drawbacks. Firstly, in order to "load" the pistol with water, the nozzle has to be specially configured not only to discharge water, but also to receive water at a reasonable rate. Secondly, the extension of the expandable tube from the butt end of the pistol creates an undesirable weight at that end when the tube is filled with water.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved water pistol which utilizes water under pressure, but which avoids disadvantages like those noted above with respect to the design of Paranay et al.